20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
50 years ago today -- March 2, 1965 -- The Sound of Music hit theaters in the United States. In honor of the iconic film's anniversary, we take a look behind the scenes of one of our favorite movies to share some things you may not have known.
1. While singing "I Have Confidence," Julie Andrews accidentally tripped in the Von Trapp courtyard.
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Director Robert Wise felt it added a much needed nervousness to the song and the character, so he decided to use it in the film.
2. Julie Andrews sang "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" to the Von Trapp children between filming.
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Since Mary Poppins hadn't been released yet, the kids all thought she made it up just for them.
3. Maria never uses the Captain's first name, Georg.
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She calls him only Captain, Sir, or Darling.
4. Christopher Plummer traveled to the Salzburg mountains to meet Captain's nephew and learn more about the character.
Since very little information was available about Captain Von Trapp for Plummer, he and his interpreter met with Captain's nephew to learn a bit about him. The nephew described the real man as the most boring man he'd ever met.
5. The day after the von Trapp family escaped Austria, Hitler ordered the borders shut.
6. They also took a train station to Italy and safety; they didn't hike over a mountain.
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Salzburg is much closer to Austria's border with Germany, and neither Italy nor Switzerland are within walking distance.
7. If they had hiked over a mountain, they'd find themselves near Hitler's mountain retreat in Germany.
8. Charmian Carr (Liesl) has admitted she was attracted to Christopher Plummer, who played her father.
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Despite the 13 year age difference, Plummer admits that the feeling was mutual. He insists it never evolved beyond flirtation.
9. Director Robert Wise didn't get along with the real Maria von Trapp when she came to the set.
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He called her "bossy."
10. In the original play, ideological differences drive the Captain and the Baroness apart.
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She wouldn't stand up to the Nazis, and he refused to compromise with them.
11. Grace Kelly had been considered for the part of the Baroness, but was a bit too busy, you know, being a princess.
12. The gazebo scene with Maria and the Captain was made a silhouette to hide the uncontrollable laughter of Julie Andrews.
20th Century Fox via Everett Collection
According to Andrews, a lighting device kept making a certain "raspberry" noise every time she leaned in to kiss Plummer. After more than 20 takes, the scene was changed to a silhouette to make her laughter less noticeable.
13. The real Von Trapp children weren't pleased with how stern their father was portrayed.
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Maria Von Trapp had asked Wise to soften the character a bit, but the director refused.
14. Kurt's high note in "So Long, Farewell" is actually sung by Liesl's real life younger sister.
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The note was out of Duane Chase's range, so Charmian Carr's sister, Darlene, sang it instead.
15. Mia Farrow auditioned for the role of Liesl.
Liza Minnelli and Sharon Tate were also among those who tested for the part.
16. Christopher Plummer admits he was drunk when they filmed the music festival sequence.
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17. The movie is one of only four films to win both the Tony Award for Best Musical/Play and the Oscar for Best Picture.
The others are My Fair Lady, A Man For All Seasons, and Amadeus.
18. Charmian Carr (Liesl) danced through "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" on an injured ankle.
During the first take of this scene, Carr slipped while leaping from a bench and fell through glass. She wasn't badly hurt, but her ankle was injured and needed to be wrapped for the scene.
19. Even though nobody had seen how she would perform on screen yet, Julie Andrews was always director Robert Wise's first choice.
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20. Yet she almost turned down the part, fearing it was too similar to Mary Poppins.
21. The actress who played Marta, Debbie Turner, kept losing teeth during filming.
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They had to be replaced with false teeth.
22. The children kept growing during filming, so lots of heel lifts and camera tricks were needed for height continuity.
Louisa (Heather Menzies-Urich) started production three inches taller than Friedrich (Nicholas Hammond); he had to wear lifts. By the end of filming, he'd grown six inches. Liesl (Charmian Carr) had to stand on a box while Friedrich didn't wear shoes to help keep their heights consistent.
23. Nicholas Hammond had to endure a bunch of painful bleachings to turn brown hair blond for the film.
24. Christopher Plummer disliked filming so very much that he referred to the movie as "The Sound of Mucus."
25. Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, and Veronica Cartwright were among those who auditioned for roles as von Trapp children.
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As did the four oldest Osmond brothers: Alan, Jay, Merrill, and Wayne.
26. The gazebo's interior scenes were shot in Los Angeles.
The inside of the actual gazebo was too small to accommodate the dance numbers.
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27. The gazebo can still be seen in Salzburg, but only from the outside.
Visitors were too frequently attempting to dance along the benches and injuring themselves, so the interior is now off limits.
28. Julie Andrews learned to play guitar specifically for this role.
29. Christopher Plummer also learned to play guitar for the role...but his playing was dubbed.
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30. Christopher Plummer asked for "Edelweiss" to be replaced.
He thought the song was trite and "schmaltzy" and asked for it to be written out. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman refused.
31. There was nobody at the altar to officiate the wedding during filming because someone forgot to wake the actor.
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32. Julie Andrews has also claimed that the actual bishop of Salzburg can be spotted in the wedding scene.
33. It's not really Kym Karath (Gretl) on Captain's shoulders in the final shot as they climb the mountains to safety.
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Karath had gained a bit of weight while filming in Austria, and evidently Christopher Plummer found her too heavy to carry on his back. He requested a stunt double.
34. Which is funny, since Plummer's weight gain required his costumes to be refitted for his extra mass.
He admitted he ate and drank in Austria in order to better cope with the unhappiness he felt from filming.
35. The movie features a rare onscreen performance by famed ghost singer Marni Nixon.
She played Sister Sophia. Nixon, who had previously done the vocals for Natalie Wood in West Side Story, Deborah Kerr in The King and I, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Since Julie Andrews played Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway version but was passed over in favor of Hepburn for the film, producers were nervous to learn how she would react to Nixon's casting. Andrews approached her and exclaimed, "Marni, I'm a fan of you!"
36. Christopher Plummer has said working with Julie Andrews is like "being hit over the head with a big Valentine's Day card."
37. Julie Andrews kept getting knocked over from the helicopter's wind.
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Though that iconic spin looks warm and sunny, Andrews only remembers how cold she was as she repeatedly ran across the mountain with the ferocious winds of the chopper above. She tried digging her feet into the ground without luck.
38. Director Robert Wise climbed a nearby tree in order to film that first musical number; he wanted to be able to watch the helicopter filming without getting in the shot himself.
39. Sean Connery and Richard Burton were both considered to play Captain.
40. The real Maria von Trapp makes a cameo.
In the "I Have Confidence" scene, as Julie Andrews walks beneath a brick archway, the real Maria can be seen behind her, dressed as a peasant.
41. Heinrich Himmler, famed Nazi, took over the von Trapp house after they escaped. Adolf Hitler visited him there more than once.
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42. Kym Karath (Gretl) couldn't swim, so Julie Andrews was responsible for catching her when they fall out of the boat and into the water.
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On the second take, the boat tipped in a way that sent Andrews flying one way and Karath falling out the other side. Heather Menzies-Urich (Louisa) was tasked with saving her instead, which Andrews was haunted by.
43. Subsequently, Karath threw up all over Menzies-Urich after swallowing too much water.
44. The cast had to be continually hosed down in order to maintain a soaking wet look after falling into the water.
45. Liesl may have been 16 going on 17, but she was actually older than Rolfe.
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Charmian Carr was 22 at the time she sang that song; Daniel Truhitte, who played Rolfe, is ten months younger than she is. Now who's older and wiser?
46. Shirley Jones, Anne Bancroft, and Doris Day were all considered for the part of Maria.
47. Robert Wise initially turned down the opportunity to direct the picture.
Stanley Donen, Vincent Donohue, Gene Kelly, and George Roy Hill were also approached and said no.
48. Mary Martin, wife of the producer of the original Broadway show and the first woman to play Maria made nearly $8,000,000 from the film.
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While Julie Andrews earned just $225,000.
49. According to British tabloid The Sun, it's one of the films chosen to show after a nuclear strike to improve morale.
Though this is unconfirmed by the BBC who declared it a security issue.
50. Peggy Wood (Mother Abbess) had a hard time lip-syncing along to "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."
She struggled to perfectly match the first word of the song, so director Robert Wise had her face away from camera when she began singing. When she looked at camera, she had caught up with the song enough to perfectly pass. The effect of her staring out the window in the beginning added a mystical element to the song and fit in better than originally planned.

Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Top Story: Gigli Gets Razzed!
Believe it or not, the Oscars weren't the only awards show to take place over the weekend. The Razzie Awards, which "honor" the worst films of the year, were handed out Saturday night in a conference room at a Sheraton hotel in Santa Monica, Calif. While The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the Academy Awards, the 24th annual Razzies were hijacked by a cinematic fiasco called Gigli. The drama took home the Golden Raspberry for worst film of the year, while its stars, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, won worst actor and actress as well as worst screen couple. Gigli's Martin Brest received the worst director and screenwriter honors. Despite Gigli's six accolades, the film won't go down in history for the most Razzies; that honor still belongs to Showgirls and Battlefield Earth, which have seven each. Worst supporting actor and actress trophies went to Sylvester Stallone for his performance in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and Demi Moore for her role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, which was also named worst sequel. Mike Myers' Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat won the newest category, "worst excuse for an actual movie."
Kevin Costner Defends Mel Gibson
Director/actor Kevin Costner told the syndicated entertainment TV show Access Hollywood that people should not attack Mel Gibson for his film The Passion of the Christ. "We shouldn't be attacking a filmmaker like Mel Gibson who, number one, is an honorable filmmaker ... and probably questioned himself more than anybody even knows. So leave him alone," Costner, 49, said. The film, which depicts the final hours and crucifixion of Christ, has been criticized for implying Jews were collectively responsible for Christ's death. It took in $76.2 million over the weekend and posted a five-day total of $117.5 million since its Wednesday opening, making it the biggest February opener ever.
Masked Jackson Alarms Wal-Mart Staff
Perhaps shopping with a ski mask on is not the wisest thing. According to Reuters, Wal-Mart employees in Glenwood Springs, Colo., became concerned last Tuesday when they spotted a shopper with a ski mask covering his face and promptly alerted police, who then stopped the masked man in his vehicle just a few blocks away. But when an officer asked the man and his driver for identification, off came the ski mask--to reveal none other than embattled pop star Michael Jackson. Turns out Jackson, who is vacationing at a ranch near Old Snowmass in the Aspen area, was simply shopping incognito. Police let the singer go without incident.
Sofia Coppola Sweeps Indie Awards
Sofia Coppola, who took home an Oscar Sunday night for best original screenplay for Lost in Translation, won directing and screenplay honors for that quirky comedy Saturday at the Independent Spirit Awards, while star Bill Murray was named best actor. The best actress award went to Charlize Theron for Monster, which also received the best first feature prize for director Patty Jenkins; supporting actor honor went to Djimon Hounsou for In America; supporting actress prize went to Shohreh Aghdashloo for House of Sand and Fog; best debut performance went to Nikki Reed for Thirteen; best foreign film went to Whale Rider; best documentary went to The Fog of War; and the best cinematography prize was awarded to Declan Quinn for In America. The best first screenplay was given to Tom McCarthy for The Station Agent, which also won the best film shot for under $500,000.
Judge Dismisses Stewart Securities Fraud Count
Martha Stewart, who is accused of staging a stock tip cover-up with her former Merrill Lynch &amp; Co. broker, Peter Bacanovic, scored a major victory Friday when U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum dismissed the most serious count of securities fraud on grounds the prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence. Stewart now faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of agency proceedings. Each count carries a possible prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine. Closing arguments began today, Reuters reports, and are expected to last through Tuesday, with jury deliberations likely to begin on Wednesday.
Some Charges Dropped in R. Kelly Case
In what they described as a routine pretrial move, prosecutors in Chicago dropped seven of the 21 charges in R&amp;B singer R. Kelly's child pornography case. According to Billboard.com, the seven counts dropped involved charges of soliciting a minor to appear in child pornography. Kelly, whose "R." stands for Robert, pleaded innocent to the remaining 14 counts of child pornography. The next hearing is April 2 but no trial date has been set. The 34-year-old singer, whose hits include "I Believe I Can Fly," was arrested in June 2002 after videotape surfaced allegedly showing him having sex with an underage girl.
MTV Sponsors Spears' Onyx Hotel Tour
Music cabler MTV has rolled out its first global tour sponsorship. MTV Presents Britney Spears Onyx Hotel Tour 2004 kicks off March 2 at the San Die

A rich "Parents" opening turned the box office green after two months of lackluster grosses.
Universal's PG-13-rated comedy "Meet the Parents" met with greater success than insiders had anticipated. Rather than the $18-22 million range that many Hollywood handicappers were expecting, "Parents" opened to a sizzling ESTIMATED $29.11 million at 2,614 theaters ($11,135 per theater).
"Parents'" international release is through DreamWorks Pictures, which co-financed the film and will share equally in its success. "Parents" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend.
The film set records as the biggest October opening ever and the biggest openings ever for its stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, according to a Universal spokesman. It is Universal's fourth consecutive film to open in first place, following "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," "Bring It On" and "The Watcher."
"We're very excited," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "It's just what the marketplace needed to reinvigorate it. I knew it would be great. I just can't believe how great it is. I knew it would be big. I knew that the record breaker was not an exceedingly tremendous number (DreamWorks' animated feature 'Antz' with $17.2 million the weekend of Oct. 2-4, 1998), but I never thought it could get to this level, because it just hasn't been done in October."
Directed by Jay Roach (director of both "Austin Powers" hits), "Parents" stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller.
Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated football drama "Remember the Titans" from producer Jerry Bruckheimer lost one yard on the chart, placing second as it expanded in its second weekend with a still-memorable ESTIMATED $19.6 million (-6%) at 2,701 theaters (+836 theaters; $7,244 per theater). Its cume is approximately $46.2 million.
"It was our distribution strategy that we wanted to wait for the second weekend and the (Columbus Day) holiday for the smaller markets," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "It has obviously paid off quite well. On a comparison of the same theaters (from last weekend), we'll probably be off in the high teens, maybe 20% would be the highest drop. I'm thinking more like 17%. And then to be only off 6% including the new runs, that means we did the right thing.
"Now, who knows, maybe that magic ($100 million domestic theatrical) number's in our future - because we're at (over) $46 million already. You can't imagine how pleased we are about what went on, especially in a market where now you have two really, really good, crowd-pleasing movies. They love 'Meet the Parents.' They love 'Titans.' The top two hits - everybody's talking about how much they like them. When was the last time that happened? This is where two films are just doing great together. What a wonderful combination.
"It's finally looking like (the box office is) turning the corner. I'm glad to be part of it. I'm glad Universal and us have both of these pictures back to back. You know, this business needed a shot in the arm."
Directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, "Titans" stars Denzel Washington.
Driven by "Parents" and "Titans," the marketplace managed to expand to nearly $81 million this weekend. Nonetheless, it was still down from last year - although by not quite 3%. That was a far better showing than the previous weekend, when key films plunged about 28% from their levels one year earlier. This weekend's key films total was up nearly 41% over the prior weekend.
Warner Bros. and Franchise Pictures' R-rated Sylvester Stallone action adventure "Get Carter" opened in third place to a less-exciting-than-hoped-for ESTIMATED $6.73 million (2,315 theaters; $2,905 per theater).
Directed by Stephen Kay, "Carter" stars Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke and Michael Caine.
Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning that Franchise would come out okay given that Stallone did the film for far less than his usual starring paycheck.
Fellman was particularly happy Sunday morning about the expansion of Warners' comedy "Best In Show," which went wider in its second weekend (see EXPANSIONS below), averaging $14,340 per theater at 53 runs.
"This is a big hit," Fellman said. "We open at about another 250 theaters next Friday. This movie's going to work. We have a good rollout plan. It's going to happen. We were up 69% from Friday to Saturday. It's obviously a word-of-mouth movie."
There also was more good news on the sneak preview front this weekend for Warners. "The big news for us was that last night (Saturday), we had spectacular sneak screenings on 'Pay It Forward," Fellman said, referring to the studio's drama from director Mimi Leder, starringKevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment.
"We screened it at about 350 locations. We had over 80% of the theaters at 75% to 100% capacity. Actually, 60% were at 100% capacity. We had 81% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good). It opens Oct. 20. We're going to go somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 theaters. We have another sneak next weekend at about 750 theaters."
Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" slid two pegs to fourth place in its third week with a still-scary $4.61 million (-36%) at 1,150 theaters (theater count unchanged; $4,009 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.1 million, heading for $40 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow.
20th Century Fox's launch of its PG-rated Japanese animated feature "Digimon: The Movie" at 1,850 theaters exceeded expectations, finishing fifth with an ESTIMATED $4.1 million at 1,822 theaters ($2,250 per theater).
"If it holds in, we'll be fine," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning, acknowledging that the picture was not an expensive pick up for Fox. "I couldn't make heads or tails from the research at all. This could have been anywhere between $2-20 million!"
DreamWorks' R-rated dramatic comedy "Almost Famous" went wider again in its fourth week, falling three rungs to sixth place with a less-exciting ESTIMATED $3.8 million (-32%) at 2,085 theaters (+450 theaters; $1,816 per theater. Its cume is approximately $23.3 million, heading for $45-50 million in domestic theaters.
Written and directed by Cameron Crowe ("Jerry Maguire"), "Almost" stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
"Famous" is being released internationally by Sony's Columbia Pictures, which co-financed the production and will share equally with DreamWorks in its success.
Columbia's R-rated horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" from Phoenix Pictures fell three pegs to seventh place in its third week with a calm ESTIMATED $2.6 million (-41%) at 2,539 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,024 per theater). Its cume is approximately $18.2 million. Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison.
Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" fell three slots to eighth place in its seventh week with a less lively ESTIMATED $2.2 million (-27%) at 2,382 theaters (-84 theaters; $925 per theater). Its cume is approximately $62.4 million.
Having an investment of only about $10 million in "Bring," Universal is well into profit on the picture. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" stars Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union.
DreamWorks PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" held on to ninth place in its 12th week with an okay ESTIMATED $1.2 million (-29%) at 1,375 t eaters (-299 theaters; $851 per theater). Its cume is approximately $152.2 million.
"Beneath" is a co-production of DreamWorks, which is releasing it domestically, and 20th Century Fox, which is distributing it internationally. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, "Beneath" stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Rounding out the Top Ten was USA Films' R-rated dark comedy "Nurse Betty," down three pegs in its fifth week with a slower ESTIMATED $1.1 million (-48%) at 1,473 theaters (-16 theaters; $749 per theater). Its cume is approximately $22.7 million.
"Betty" actually is owned by Universal, which acquired it as part of its takeover of PolyGram and then brought in USA to handle its domestic release. Directed by Neil La Bute, "Betty" stars Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of New Line's R-rated Spike Lee satire "Bamboozled," placing 23rd with an okay ESTIMATED $0.18 million at 17 theaters ($10,294 per theater).
"We're going to expand it on Oct. 20 in the 15 top markets," New Line distribution president David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "We knew this picture was going to be a word of mouth picture, so that's what we're doing."
Written and directed by Spike Lee, "Bamboozled" stars Damon Wayans, Savion Glover and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Artisan Entertainment's controversial unrated drama "Requiem For A Dream" opened exclusively in New York, placing 25th with a sexy ESTIMATED $0.083 million at 2 theaters ($41,485 per theater). Directed by Darren Arnonofsky, "Requiem" stars Jared Leto and Ellen Burstyn.
Lions Gate's R-rated drama "Two Family House" opened in New York and L.A., placing 26th with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.032 million at 9 theaters ($3,571 per theater). Directed by Raymond De Felitta, it stars Michael Rispoli and Kelly MacDonald.
20th Century Fox and New Regency's R-rated drama "Tigerland" opened in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, placing 27th with a calm ESTIMATED $0.021 million at 5 theaters ($5,818 per theater). Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Colin Farrell and Matthew Davis.
Fox Searchlight Pictures' 50th anniversary re-release of 20th Century Fox's classic "All About Eve" opened in New York, placing 30th with a solid ESTIMATED $12,340 at one theater. It opens in L.A. this Friday (Oct. 13).
"It's its 50th anniversary," Fox Searchlight distribution head Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "It actually opened 50 years ago this Friday in New York City at the Roxy Theater. It is a restored print."
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, "Eve" stars Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sander, Celeste Holme, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter and, in one of her earliest roles, Marilyn Monroe.
Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Bootmen" opened in New York and L.A., placing 31st with a soft ESTIMATED $12,214 at 11 theaters ($1,110 per theater). Directed by Dein Perry, it stars Adam Garcia, Sophie Lee and Sam Worthington.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Warner Bros. held sneak previews this weekend at 350 theaters of its PG-13 rated drama "Pay It Forward."
For details, see Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman's comments in the Top Ten films report above.
Directed by Mimi Leder, "Pay" stars Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, Warner Bros.' PG-13-rated comedy "Best in Show" went wider in its second week, placing 13th with an impressive ESTIMATED $0.76 million at 53 theatres (+40 theaters; $14,340 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.4 million.
For additional details, see Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman's comments in the Top Ten films report above.
Directed by Christopher Guest, it stars Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest and John Michael Higgins.
Fine Line's R-rated drama "Dancer in the Dark" went wider in its third week, placing 16th with a calm ESTIMATED $0.54 million at 111 theaters (+108 theaters; $4,865 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.9 million.
Written and directed by Lars Von Trier, "Dancer" stars Bjork and Catherine Deneuve.
Sony's Screen Gems' R-rated drama "Girlfight" expanded in it second week, placing 18th place with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.53 million at 253 theaters (+225 theaters; $2,075 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.8 million.
Directed by Karyn Kusama, "Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $80.70 million, down about 2.73% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $82.97 million.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 40.83% from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $57.30 million.
Last year, Paramount's third week of "Double Jeopardy" was first with $13.54 million at 2,913 theaters ($4,649 per theater); and Sony's opening week of "Random Hearts" was second with $12.01 million at 2,697 theaters ($4,825 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $26.5 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $48.7 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
Universal was first with three films ("Meet the Parents," "The Watcher" and "Bring It On"), grossing an ESTIMATED $32.42 million or 40.2% of the market.
Buena Vista (Disney and Touchstone) was second with one film ("Remember the Titans"), grossing an ESTIMATED $19.6 million or 24.3% of the market.
Warner Bros. was third with five films ("Get Carter," "The Exorcist," "Bait," "Space Cowboys" and "Best in Show"), grossing an ESTIMATED $13.67 million or 16.9% of the market.
DreamWorks was fourth with two films ("Almost Famous" and "What Lies Beneath"), grossing an ESTIMATED $5.0 million or 6.2% of the market.
20th Century Fox was fifth with one film ("Digimon: The Movie"), grossing an ESTIMATED $4.1 million or 5.1% of the market.
Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was sixth with one film ("Urban Legends: Final Cut"), grossing an ESTIMATED $2.6 million or 3.2% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11)The Watcher/Universal: Theaters: 1,749 (-887) Gross: $1.11 million (-51%) Average per theater: $635 Cume: $27.8 million
(12)Space Cowboys/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,503 (-503) Gross: $0.9 million (-36%) Average per theater: $599 Cume: $88.3 million
(13)Best in Show/Warner Bros.: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(14)Bait/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,026 (-984) Gross: $0.68 million (-61%) Average per theater: $658 Cume: $14.5 million
(15)Beautiful/Destination: Theaters: 646 (0) Gross: $0.61 million (-56%) Average per theater: $950 Cume: $2.5 million
(16)Dancer in the Dark/Fine Line: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(17) The Cell/New Line: Theaters: 774 (-649) Gross: $0.53 million (-49%) Average per theater: $680 Cume: $60.0 million
(18)Girlfight/Screen Gems/Sony: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(19)The Original Kings of Comedy/Paramount: Theaters: 912 (-137) Gross: $0.49 million (-36%) Average per theater: $540 Cume: $37.3 million
(20)Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Universal: Theaters: 792 (-293) Gross: $0.43 million (-37%) Average per theater: $540 Cume: $121.4 million
(21)Scary Movie/Dimension Films: Theaters: 761 (-492) Gross: $0.42 million (-49%) Average per theater: $545 Cume: $155.7 million
(22)Woman On Top/Fox Searchlight: Theaters: 590 (-496) Gross: $0.33 million (-70%) Average per theater: $553 Cume: $4.5 million
(23)BAMBOOZLED/New Line: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(24)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 249 (-158) Gross: $0.17 million (-37%) Average per theater: $895 Cume: $186.4 million
(25)REQUIEM FOR A DREAM/Artisan: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(26) TWO FAMILY HOUSE/Lions Gate: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(27)TIGERLAND/Fox: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(28)Into the Arms of Strangers/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 6 (+1) Gross: $0.020 million (+18%) Average per theater: $3,367 Cume: $0.13 million
(29)Under Suspicion/Lions Gate: Theaters: 15 (-4) Gross: $0.019 million (-60%) Average per theater: $1,290 Cume: $0.2 million
(30)ALL ABOUT EVE/Fox Searchlight (reissue): (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(31)BOOTMEN/Fox Searchlight: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)